1. Field of the Invention
The field of the invention relates to electric heaters, and specifically to heaters having versatility in directing heated air.
2. Brief Description of the Related Art
Electric heaters are commonly used for providing heat to rooms and offices. Many such heaters are portable, and are frequently used for providing supplemental heat. Such heaters may distribute air by convection, forced air, radiation, or a combination of such means.
It is often important to direct heat generated by an electric heater in order to maximize its benefits. Such heaters have accordingly been manufactured in a variety of forms. One such form is the “tower” type heater as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,761,377, which is incorporated by reference herein. Such a heater includes a rather tall, upright housing mounted to a base. Heated air exits through openings in the front face of the heater. Such openings are provided substantially throughout the front face, providing an elongate vertical area through which air can escape.
Electric heaters have also been designed in the form of baseboard heaters. Such heaters include elongate housings that are intended to be placed horizontally at the juncture of a wall and a floor. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,790,748 and Des. 408,510 disclose two such heaters. A third such heater is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. Des. 341,651. While this heater offers additional versatility in that the two elongate housings thereof are foldable with respect to a central base, its use is still limited as both housings remain horizontal regardless of position. It accordingly has use only as a baseboard heater regardless of how the housings are configured with respect to each other or to the base.